Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

CHARLESTON, Ill.—The IUPUI softball team dropped a doubleheader to Eastern Illinois on Wednesday night (April 24) at Williams Field in Charleston, Ill., with a 2-0 loss and a 9-1 loss in six innings.

With the two losses, IUPUI drops to 17-27 overall while EIU improves to 34-11.

EIU 2, IUPUI 0

Two runs in the first inning is all EIU would need to pull out the win in game one of the nonconference doubleheader.

Cassie Vodde got the start, and she retired the first out of the game with a groundout to second baseman Ali Mosier. Carly Willert hit a one-out single up the middle and advanced to second base after Vodde hit the next batter, Hannah Cole. Brooke Owens singled through the right side to load up the bases, and Bailey O’Dell hit the third single of the inning to centerfield to score Willert and load up the bases again. Ashleigh Westover hit the Panthers’ final run in on a sacrifice fly to left field before Vodde concluded the inning on a groundout to shortstop.

Mosier continued her hot streak with a two-out single through the left side and stole second base. The hit marked her fifth straight game to have one or more hits and the stolen base was her fifth in the last four games. But the inning ended on a Lindsey Richards strikeout and the Mosier was left stranded.

Nicole Natter came in to replace Vodde in the second inning and EIU would not advance a runner past second base the rest of the game. The Jags defense aided Natter in the second and sixth innings, ending the Panthers’ scoring attempts early on lineout double plays.

IUPUI threatened to score in the fifth inning and again in the seventh. Angela Bartucci started off the fifth with a double to left centerfield for the only double of the game. Morgan Schlobohm attempted the sacrifice bunt to advance Bartucci to third and reached base on an EIU fielding error by Westover. Schlobohm stole second to give the Jags runners on second and third with no out, but the runners would once again be stranded.

With only three outs left, IUPUI made one last effort for a comeback. Kelsey Rupert worked a one-out walk and advanced to second on a Mosier single through the left side for her second hit of the game. Alyssa Neff came in to pinch hit for Jessica Lam and struck out to leave only one out in the game. Megan Cory was entered into the game to pinch hit for Richards and walked to give IUPUI bases loaded with two outs, but EIU pitcher Hanna Mennenga continued to control the game and forced a pop out to secure the win.

Mennenga improved to 22-4 on the season and finished her 17th complete game. She allowed no runs on four hits, six walks and 11 strike outs.

Vodde took the loss and fell to 7-4 on the season. She allowed the games’ only two runs on four hits. Natter finished out the final five innings and allowed no runs on three hits, one walk and one strike out.
 
EIU 9, IUPUI 1

In the second game, IUPUI took advantage of an EIU error in the second inning to score its only run on the day.

Cory led off the inning with a walk, and Rupert followed with a single to centerfield. Centerfielder Melise Brown made an error on the play and Rupert ended up on second and Cory scored.

But the one run would not be enough and in the third inning EIU tied up the game at 1-1 on a one-out single from Cole and a two-out double to left field from O’dell.

EIU tacked on eight runs in the sixth inning to make it 9-1, six of which were scored on two outs. The Panthers batted through its lineup and scored eight runs on three walks, one batter hit by a pitch, three singles and one IUPUI error.

IUPUI had three singles from Rupert, Bartucci and Schlobohm.

Cole was 2-for-3 for the Panthers, adding two runs and one RBI, while O'Dell was 1-for-4 with three RBI, and seven other EIU batters singled in the win.

Jocelyn Oppenhuis took the loss in the circle to fall to 5-10 on the season. Oppenhuis allowed five earned runs on four hits, six walks, one hit batter and struck out three. Oppenhuis was pulled out of the game in the Panthers’ eight-run inning after it went ahead 3-1. Natter came in to replace Oppenhuis and allowed the final four runs, all earned, on two hits and one walk.

Stephanie Maday earned the win to improve to 12-4 on the season. The win was her eleventh complete game of the season and she allowed only one run on three hits, three walks and struck out nine.

IUPUI will return home to make up a doubleheader against Valparaiso at the IUPUI Softball Complex on Wednesday, May 1, with the first game beginning at 4 p.m. and the second following at 6:30 p.m.